Manager confident University Town Center mall will be finished on time

Published: Thursday, March 13, 2014 at 1:00 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, March 12, 2014 at 9:02 p.m.

LAKEWOOD RANCH - The shell of the Mall at University Town Center looms in view from Interstate 75 and University Parkway as the once-vacant 276-acre property is quickly transformed into Southwest Florida's first true luxury retail center.

The question that mall general manager, Octavio "Tav" Ortiz is asked the most by the residents who drive by the $315 million mall's rising frame is: Will it be done on time?

"Taubman Centers hasn't missed an opening date in 20 years," Ortiz told a crowd of more than 100 at a Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance luncheon Wednesday.

Ortiz shared details of the highly anticipated Oct. 16 opening of the mall, an 880,000- square-foot luxury center that is expected to transform shopping in Southwest Florida.

Dressed in a suit and standing behind a podium in the Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club's grand ballroom, Ortiz took alliance members on a virtual tour of the property using rendering and construction images.

"We've taken the elements of some of our most successful properties, like Mall at Millenia and International Plaza, and put them into University Town Center," Ortiz said.

The property will have 16 electric car charging stations. A central skylight and open window rooftop will allow Florida's abundant sunlight to illuminate the inside of the mall. A regular shuttle service will bus shoppers from the mall to existing retail plazas owned and built by Manatee County-based Benderson Development along the University Parkway and Cattlemen Road corridor.

The mall, anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's and Dillard's, also is attracting high-end tenants such as Pottery Barn, Brooks Brothers and an Omega watch boutique. More than half of the 100-plus in-line stores will be new to the market, Ortiz said.

Other tenants expected to open there are Apple, Anthropologie, H&M, Michael Kors and Kate Spade.

Ortiz said he is often asked about Nordstrom as a potential mall anchor. He noted that a fourth anchor pad remains available at the mall for later construction, as with the Mall at Millenia, but he said nothing would happen there before the mall's opening.

Nordstrom is already occupying space near the mall. In November, the company opened a 35,000- square-foot Nordstrom Rack in Benderson's nearby Shoppes at University Town Center.

Taubman, a Michigan-based mall developer, is partnering with Benderson to build the mall. This is Benderson's first venture into the mall business, while Taubman already owns or operates five properties in the state, including Tampa's International Plaza and a half-stake in Waterside Shops in Naples.

"We already have properties in Tampa and Naples, so we already understand this market," Ortiz said.

Early data show that the Mall at UTC will attract 1.2 million shoppers -- from St. Petersburg to Fort Myers and from Sarasota and Manatee counties. Tourists, too, are expected to be a large part of the mall's springtime foot traffic.

"Sarasota is a destination, but has been underrepresented in the retail sector for a long time," Ortiz said.

<p><em>LAKEWOOD RANCH</em> - The shell of the Mall at University Town Center looms in view from Interstate 75 and University Parkway as the once-vacant 276-acre property is quickly transformed into Southwest Florida's first true luxury retail center.</p><p>The question that mall general manager, Octavio "Tav" Ortiz is asked the most by the residents who drive by the $315 million mall's rising frame is: Will it be done on time?</p><p>"Taubman Centers hasn't missed an opening date in 20 years," Ortiz told a crowd of more than 100 at a Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance luncheon Wednesday.</p><p>Ortiz shared details of the highly anticipated Oct. 16 opening of the mall, an 880,000- square-foot luxury center that is expected to transform shopping in Southwest Florida.</p><p>Dressed in a suit and standing behind a podium in the Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club's grand ballroom, Ortiz took alliance members on a virtual tour of the property using rendering and construction images.</p><p>"We've taken the elements of some of our most successful properties, like Mall at Millenia and International Plaza, and put them into University Town Center," Ortiz said.</p><p>The property will have 16 electric car charging stations. A central skylight and open window rooftop will allow Florida's abundant sunlight to illuminate the inside of the mall. A regular shuttle service will bus shoppers from the mall to existing retail plazas owned and built by Manatee County-based Benderson Development along the University Parkway and Cattlemen Road corridor.</p><p>The mall, anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's and Dillard's, also is attracting high-end tenants such as Pottery Barn, Brooks Brothers and an Omega watch boutique. More than half of the 100-plus in-line stores will be new to the market, Ortiz said.</p><p>Restaurants will include Kona Grill, Capital Grille, Seasons 52, the Cheesecake Factory and a Brio Tuscan Grille.</p><p>Other tenants expected to open there are Apple, Anthropologie, H&M, Michael Kors and Kate Spade.</p><p>Ortiz said he is often asked about Nordstrom as a potential mall anchor. He noted that a fourth anchor pad remains available at the mall for later construction, as with the Mall at Millenia, but he said nothing would happen there before the mall's opening.</p><p>Nordstrom is already occupying space near the mall. In November, the company opened a 35,000- square-foot Nordstrom Rack in Benderson's nearby Shoppes at University Town Center.</p><p>Taubman, a Michigan-based mall developer, is partnering with Benderson to build the mall. This is Benderson's first venture into the mall business, while Taubman already owns or operates five properties in the state, including Tampa's International Plaza and a half-stake in Waterside Shops in Naples.</p><p>"We already have properties in Tampa and Naples, so we already understand this market," Ortiz said.</p><p>Early data show that the Mall at UTC will attract 1.2 million shoppers -- from St. Petersburg to Fort Myers and from Sarasota and Manatee counties. Tourists, too, are expected to be a large part of the mall's springtime foot traffic.</p><p>"Sarasota is a destination, but has been underrepresented in the retail sector for a long time," Ortiz said.</p>